Another chapter in those Red Sox-Yankees pleasantries

In case we haven't made it clear before, Red Sox Monster is a big fan of Dustin Pedroia.

We love his hustle, the way he throws his 5-foot-9 body in harm's way, and the way he has fought back after a horrid start to bring his batting average back over .260 and become a meaningful part of the Boston Red Sox offense.

So, maybe y'all should take what I'm about to say with a grain of salt.

A question, though: Did you see that hit Alex Rodriguez laid on Pedroia last night?

With one out in the eighth and the bases loaded, Jorge Posada hit a ground ball to third baseman Mike Lowell, who fielded the ball and fired to Pedroia for the force on A-Rod at second base. Pedroia came across the bag and threw to first base, just barely missing pulling off the double play, and was stunned when Rodriguez slid on the infield side of the base and threw his left elbow into his left side as he popped out of the slide.

"He went in late and kind of threw an elbow," Pedroia said. "It was a little cheap but no big deal. I'll remember. I play second base. I've got to turn two with the Yankees 19 times a year, so I know now when he's coming in, my (arm) slot gets dropped to the floor. That's it."

As one of those dreaded weekend warriors, I am 100 percent aware that collisions happen all the time in sports. Matter of fact, I knocked over a catcher in a softball game last week as he stood about five feet up the third-base line from home plate, blocking any path I had of scoring even though a throw to the plate was not to him yet. These things happen.

Still, an elbows-up slide? Isn't that... a bit much?

One thing is certain. With Big Curtis Montague pitching for the Red Sox tonight, it stands to reason any perceived slight on the part of the Red Sox could be punished severely. Mr. Schilling can be a bit ornery like that. Add in that it's the 6-foot-4 A-Rod who took out the 5-foot-9 Pedroia, and it only makes matters worse.